


Two Ghosts

by rosybumblebee



Category: Tokyo Ghoul
Genre: Alternate Universe, Angst, Enemies to Lovers, Fluff, Gen, M/M, Slow Burn, competitions, figure skating, not too slow tho, rivals!au
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-07-02
Updated: 2017-09-10
Packaged: 2018-11-22 13:05:13
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 7
Words: 13,182
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/11380773
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/rosybumblebee/pseuds/rosybumblebee
Summary: Tsukiyama Shuu has always been a living legend in figure skating. Now, though, he finds himself sharing his home rink with his arch enemy. Will they be able to work together, or will the tension be too much for them?





	1. Chapter 1

_What?_

It’s the first thing Tsukiyama thinks when he sees the scores on the huge screen hung over the rink. 216.87 points for a free program was an amazing score, but not enough if he wanted to win. He felt Matsumae’s -his coach- hand patting his shoulder as he watched his name climb to almost the top of the ranking, with only one name above him.

_Kaneki Ken. 217.63 points._

Now, Tsukiyama Shuu, 21 years of age and 16 years of experience in figure skating, was known, aside for being a living legend, also for actively encouraging not only his rinkmates, but younger skaters altogether. He liked giving advice and seeing people be successful partially thanks to him. He truly did.

But Kaneki Ken was entirely something else.

Though they both competed for Japan, Kaneki trained at a different rink from Shuu’s and he was really shy: he showed up at competitions and went back home without another word. Maybe he would stop to do a couple of short interviews, but nothing more. That was the reason Tsukiyama had never been able to approach him. It was pretty frustrating.

At first, Tsukiyama found himself fascinated by him and his beautiful skating, the way the white haired beauty seemed to glide and jump and twirl across the ice without any difficulty. He created music with his body, and Shuu saw how much passion and love he put in skating.

Then, Kaneki started getting better and better, until two years before he had beat Shuu in the 2015 Grand Prix Final in Barcelona. Shuu wasn’t worried, he knew he could get back on track in no time and bring home another gold, but then Kaneki beat him another two times, the media started whispering about a new rivalry being born, and of course that sparked something off in Shuu. He knew he was good, but that didn’t mean anything if he couldn’t be _the best_.

\---

Later that night, at the Gala, Tsukiyama was peacefully sipping on champagne, leaning against the edge of the table and minding his own business, when he felt someone tapping his shoulder.

_I thought I had the face of someone who clearly doesn’t want to be bothered right now. Is it another journalist? I was sure I had finished all the interviews…_

He sighed and put on his trademark “one billion dollars smile”, as the media liked to call it, and turned around, only to be greeted by Rize’s grinning face.

“Having fun, champion?” she asked, twirling the red wine in her glass.

“Totally. What are you doing here? I thought you had a press conference for next year’s Olympics,” Tsukiyama raised an eyebrow.

“I did. I just finished early. It was boring as usual,” Rize shrugged, looking around the crowded room curiously. “And it looks like I did good. Look at who’s staring at you∼,” she giggled maliciously, hiding her face behind her glass.

Tsukiyama followed the direction where she was looking and noticed a messy mop of white hair staring at him from afar, who immediately whipped his head around when he realized he’d been found out.

“He’s probably just looking at me and mentally laughing at my loss,” Tsukiyama muttered through gritted teeth, angrily taking another sip of champagne.

“Are you kidding me? I bet he made his short program about you. He chose… what was that? Nocturne something by Chopin? Whatever, he totally knows he’s your favorite composer. Thank god he doesn’t know you scream when you play his songs at the piano though,” Rize chuckled.

“It’s _Nocturne Op. 9 No. 2_ , and I only gently raise my voice when I’m upset,” Tsukiyama pouted.

“Okay, yes, sure. What I’m saying is, go talk to him. It can’t hurt. People are starting to say you two hate each other’s guts. And while a little rivalry is fun, people don’t like stuck up assholes who get butthurt the first time they lose a gold meda. Like you. Now go and try to make some polite conversation," Rize urged, gently pushing against his back.

Tsukiyama stared at her for a few moments, evaluating his options, before downing the rest of his champagne in one go and walking across the room.

“Uhm... uh. Hi,” Tsukiyama cleared his throat, feeling his cheeks suddenly heat up. Must be from the crowd and warm lights in the room. And the light buzz of the alcohol too, of course.

“I, uh… I wanted to congratulate you on your first place. Both of your programs are amazing,” he smiled politely.

“Oh, thank you. You were fantastic too. Worthy of second place,” Kaneki smirked, noticing how Shuu tried to hide a shocked face.

“Ah… thanks,” the other smiled tightly, holding his right hand in a fist by his side. “I can’t wait to look down at you from the podium in the next competition,” Shuu raised an eyebrow, but Kaneki still managed to keep a straight face.

“Thank you. I feel the same. Now, I’m sorry but I should go back to Yoshimura-san, my coach. It was a pleasure, Tsukiyama-san,” Kaneki chuckled, before turning around and walking away. He didn’t miss Tsukiyama’s angry whisper of “Can’t wait to beat your ass, Kaneki-kun.”

\---

“No.” “Come on Kaneki, the Agora rink in Tokyo is way bigger than this one, it’s closer to arenas that will be used for other competitions in the future, and you’ll have more connections in a city like that.”

“I said no.”

“Just give me a valid reason. Too much smog isn’t a valid reason, and don’t you roll your eyes at me, young man.”

The ice rink in Fukuoka, Kyushu, was nice, but it was a little isolated from the rest of the world, and Yoshimura knew Kaneki would be better off in a bigger rink with a better coach. Also, he was getting pretty old, and though he was still in great shape and would have loved to, he didn’t have the energy to travel all around the world for competitons. That was why he had decided to send Kaneki to train under a younger coach, someone who could still put a pair of skates on to show him how to do a correct quadruple loop without accidentally falling and breaking both legs.

“Don’t tell me it’s because Tsukiyama Shuu also trains under Matsumae. Please, Kaneki, you’re 19 now, you shouldn’t behave like a child.”

Kaneki huffed and crossed his arms, looking down for a moment. “It’s just… he’s too good to train with someone like me. I’m just afraid he’ll laugh at me when I’ll try a triple axel and fall on my face,” the boy sighed, meeting his coach’s eyes.

“Kaneki, you’ve already won 5 gold medals at major competitions, and you’re going to compete in the Olympics next year. You’re just as good as him. He’s been your idol since you started skating. I’m sure he’ll be happy to train with his biggest fan. And I’m sure you will regret it for you life if you had the opportunity to train with him but didn’t take it, ” Yoshimura smiled encouragingly, placing a hand on Kaneki’s shoulder. “Now you should go prepare your stuff. Tomorrow you have a plane to catch.”

\---

“He stole those golds from me, Matsumae! I want them back!” Tsukiyama cried pitifully, while his coach just ignored him, like she always did whenever he threw one of his tantrums. He'd been doing that since he was a child, and he sure was not going to stop now.

“He did not steal them, Shuu-sama, he won them. And I know deep down you’re happy for him. You’re just shocked because you have always been the best, and now you have to fight to keep that title. But I’m sure it won’t be a problem to train with him.”

“Yeah, but still… what if I realize he’s way better than me, and I could never be like him, because I’ve already reached my peak? What if I never win another gold medal in my entire life and I’ll be forced to retire? What will I do after retirement, Matsumae?!” Tsukiyama whined desperately.

Matsumae let out an exhausted sigh and shook her head, starting to stroke his hair after Shuu hid his face in her thigh.

“You’re only 21. You can still skate years before having to think about retirement. Maybe, if you’re lucky and still feel like it, you can have something like 10 more years ahead of you. You shouldn’t worry about others, because while you’re busy fretting and worrying, other skaters will become better. You have to focus solely on what you are doing now. You’re the best skater in the world, and you have three World Championships medals at home to prove it. You won the Grand Prix four years in a row, and broke at least 10 world records. You brought home 2 gold medals for Japan at the last two World Team Trophies, and you were the ace of your team. You won the Nationals countless times, you’ll compete at the Olympics, and I’m sure I don’t need to go on listing all the other minor competitions you’ve won. What I’m saying is, don’t worry about what Kaneki is doing. Focus on yourself, and everything will work out.”

“…but I’ll still be your favorite, right Ma?” Shuu mumbled, changing positions and burrowing his face in Matsumae’s shoulder, like he did whe he was little and in need of reassurance. “Of course you will,” Matsumae chuckled, petting his head softly.

“Now get off me and go put on your skates. You still have a big season coming up.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you so much for reading! This idea came up because I'm a fan of figure skating and a fan of Shuuneki, so I decided to combine the two things! This is heavily inspired by Yuri!!! On Ice but with some differences, as you can see. Also, to me Victor=Tsukiyama and Yuuri=Kaneki, so I couldn't not write something about it!  
> The second chapter should be up sometime next week, because then I'll be in Ireland for two weeks and I won't be able to write! Also, the title is taken from Harry Styles' song Two Ghosts.  
> Anyway, thank you again!
> 
> my tumblr: rosybumblebee (main) gourmetbooty (fandom)


	2. Chapter 2

** Chapter 2 **

_A week later_

At 10.00 AM sharp, Tsukiyama walked into the rink and dropped his duffle bag beside him, sitting down on a bench to change into his skates.

He looked up and stared incredulously at the sight before him: Kaneki Ken was already on the rink, with Matsumae on the other side of the border and talking to him.

_“He’s already here, huh,”_ Shuu thought, rolling his eyes and tying his skates, taking off his guards and putting them in his bag before entering the rink and sliding up to where Kaneki and Matsumae were.

 “Oh, here you are. Shuu, I’d like to formally introduce you to Kaneki Ken.”

“We already met at the Worlds’ Gala last week,” Tsukiyama smiled tightly, looking down and absentmindedly scraping the ice a little in an attempt to look completely calm and disinterested.

“Oh, I’m happy to hear that. Now excuse me, but I have to go check up on Karren, but I’ll be back soon to start training,” Matsumae lowered her head politely, glancing at Shuu as if to say _“Be nice and don’t do anything stupid,”_ before walking away.

 

“Well… welcome to my rink,” Tsukiyama turned toward Kaneki, his hands on his hips as he put on a blinding and clearly fake smile. “Hope you’ll feel comfortable here.”

 “Oh, I’m sure I’ll be just peachy. Thank you for being so kind to offer me your home rink,” Kaneki replied sarcastically, crossing his arms over his chest in a defensive stance and raising an eyebrow.

  _This little… does he really think he can respond to my sarcasm with more sarcasm? That’s not how it works!!_

Tsukiyama exhaled sharply through his nose and licked his lips, looking at Kaneki up and down. “Well, if we’re gonna train in less than five minutes. How about we do some laps around the rink to warm up?”

 “Of course. Ladies first,” Kaneki chuckled, extending his hand and motioning for Tsukiyama to go.

  _I have to destroy him as soon as possible and make it seem like an accidental suicide._

“Haha… funny,” Tsukiyama muttered through gritted teeth, moving in front of Kaneki and starting to skate lazily close to the rink’s border.

  _It’s been 4 minutes and I already can’t stand him… maybe I’m just on the edge today. I’m sure he’s not as bad as I-is he racing me?_

Tsukiyama widened his eyes as he saw Kaneki rush past him, before he looked over his shoulder with a smug smile. Shuu just stared at him for a few seconds, dumbfounded, then he picked up speed and moved past him, chuckling to himself when he realized that that had seemed to rile Kaneki up, since both of them started skating faster.

 They kept this going for a few minutes, with one constantly trying to surpass the other in order to put him back into his place. Even if it was just a warm-up, Tsukiyama couldn’t let him win again and have his dignity destroyed. Again.

 Suddenly they heard someone clapping their hands to catch their attention and they both stopped in their tracks, only to see Matsumae standing at the edge of the rink, now with her skates on.

“I’m happy to see a friendly rivalry has already settled in, but remember this is just training. You two will have time to compete against each other in the World Team Trophy, which I remind you is in less than 20 days. So, I suggest you to get to work. I know it’s not a competition serious like the others, but it’s an opportunity to bring home another gold. We’ll start with your short programs.”

 

  “Yes, sir!”

 

\---

 

“Oh my god, I’m exhausted,” Tsukiyama whined, sitting down heavily on the bench and grabbing a bottle of apple juice, while Kaneki sat down next to him and began wiping his forehead with a cloth.

“Eh, not really,” Kaneki shrugged, taking a few deep breaths and looking at other skaters gliding effortlessly on the ice.

“Pft, me neither… just wanted to see if you were tired…” Tsukiyama rolled his eyes, trying to make sure Kaneki didn’t see him breathing heavily.

 

“Can I ask you a question? It’s been bugging me since I saw you,” Tsukiyama said, tilting his head and looking curiously at Kaneki.

 “Oh, uhm… sure, ask away,” Kaneki said, arching an eyebrow. He sincerely hoped Tsukiyama hadn’t somehow found out about the collection of posters in his bedroom back at home, because that would be really embarrassing. He didn’t know if he could take it. If Tsukiyama had actually found out, then the only choice left was suicide.

 “Why did you dye your hair white?” Shuu asked, raising a hand and delicately touch a strand of hair on the side of Kaneki’s head.

“N-Not that it doesn’t suit you. It’s just… it’s just that going from black to white hair is a big change, and it can be damaging. And it’s… an unusual color.”

 

_Way to go, Shuu. You were trying to politely make conversation and indirectly told him his hair is weird and damaged. You’re a disgrace._

“Oh, haha… I just… liked it, I guess. And at first my hair was damaged, but I started using coconut oil,” Kaneki explained, taking a piece of hair between his fingers and examining it, before letting it fall to its previous place.

 “Really? I use that too. Even though I don’t dye my hair,” Tsukiyama said, offering the other boy a kind smile.

  _Maybe I could tolerate him… I mean, we have to share the rink now, it’s no use being so hostile to each other._

“I heard you’re new here,” said someone, and Shuu and Kaneki raised their heads to see Karren von Rosewald standing in front of them.

 

She was 14 and in the Junior division, but had won a noticeable amount of titles and the media had already labelled her as the next legend of figure skating. The fact that she was Tsukiyama’s cousin only helped fuel those rumors. She didn’t like to stay with the other juniors, referring to them as “immature kids”, and preferred hanging out with the senior skaters, or better, wherever Shuu was.

 

“Yeah, hi. I just transferred and I’ll be training under Matsumae with Tsukiyama-san. I’m Kaneki Ken. I think I’ve already seen you at other competitions…?”

 “Yes, I already know who you are.” _The filthy pig who stole Shuu-sama’s golds right under his nose._

“I’m Karren von Rosewald. I’m still in the Junior division, but I’ll be 15 soon and next year I’ll compete with the seniors.” _And I will kick your ass so hard you won’t even be able to see who did it._

“Oh, pleasure to meet you,” Kaneki smiled, sticking a hand out. Karren looked at it for a couple of seconds, but since she didn’t want to make a bad impression on Shuu, she rolled her eyes and took it, shaking it briefly before letting go.

“Same. I’ll go back now. Shuu-sama, you were fantastic as always today,” she smiled brightly, batting her eyelashes before walking off and getting back on the rink.

 

“She’ll yell at you soon. Don’t worry about her, it’s normal,” Shuu chuckled, shaking his head fondly. “Oh, okay… and here I thought the more hostile one would be you,” Kaneki smirked.

  _…well, technically, he’s right… it doesn’t sound that good coming from his mouth, though._

“Don’t get too comfortable. I’m still your archenemy, the worst rival you will ever meet,” Tsukiyama joked.

  _Reminding him of his place while keeping a lighthearted conversation. Not bad._

“Yeah… I know,” Kaneki sighed, playing with the glove placed on his thigh, before grabbing it and sliding it back on.

“Ready to go again?”

 “I was born ready.”

 

\---

 

That evening, Kaneki walked into his apartment and let his bag fall to the ground, exhaling deeply and closing the door behind him. Saying he was exhausted would be the understatement of the decade. Matsumae was a great coach, though. A little stricter than Yoshimura, but still fantastic. He could understand how Tsukiyama became a living legend at such a young age.

 After a quick shower, he put on his pajamas and made a cup of instant noodles, before letting himself fall on the couch. He had to follow a diet to keep his athletic body, but he wouldn’t die if he ate some junk food once in a while.

 His phone beeped and he grabbed it, smiling when he saw his best friend Hide had texted him.

 

_Hide, 19.37: yo kaneki! how did the training go? do u like the new rink? do u like who’s training with u at the rink?_ ( ͡° ͜ʖ ͡°)

_Kaneki, 19.39: it went pretty good, and shut up!!! u know I’m only seen as his rival and nothing more! we teased each other and stuff like that, but nothing that could be seen as something else. also, I’m here to train, not to woo the love of my life!!_

_Hide, 19.42: U INDIRECTLY CALLED HIM THE LOVE OF UR LIFE LMAOOOO bruh you’ve been thirsting over him since u saw him skate for the first time stop denying u like him. anyway gotta go now, love ya x_

_Kaneki, 19.43: SHUT!!!! UP!!!!!! love you too_

Kaneki rolled his eyes fondly and put his phone beside him. Hide had been his best friend since kindergarten, and though he didn’t understand anything about skating, he still supported him in every way possible, even during difficult times.

Kaneki’s parents had died when he was young, and Hide had offered to adopt him multiple times. That still made Kaneki laugh, even after years. Kaneki had lived with his aunt for a few years, then he was basically taken in by Yoshimura, who had noticed his talent and knew about the difficulties Kaneki had to face, especially the financial ones, since his aunt wasn’t too fond of his passion.

Kaneki lived with Yoshimura for a while, then, due to the change of rinks, had to buy an apartment in Tokyo. It had only been a week, but it wasn’t that bad to live alone, and thanks to all the medals and trophies he had won, he didn’t have any problems sustaining himself.

After a couple of hours, Kaneki turned off the TV and walked to his bedroom, sliding under the covers. In under ten minutes, he drifted off in a peaceful sleep.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Here is the second chapter! Thank you for reading and as always, kudos and comments are appreciated <3
> 
> my tumblr: rosybumblebee (main) gourmetbooty (fandom)


	3. Chapter 3

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Notes: In case you don’t know, I’ll quickly explain how the WTT works. Basically, a team is formed with two single men skaters, two women, a couple for ice dance and one for pair skating from the six countries who got the best scores during the competitive season. Every skater competes and they get their score and also points for their team. The team with the most points wins. It’s a fun competition, it’s not as serious as the Grand Prix or the Worlds, and the Gala at the end where all the countries dance together on the ice is amazing!

_Two weeks later_

 

The World Team Trophy was just in four days, and both Tsukiyama and Kaneki had just finished practice for their programs and also for the Gala with the other skaters in their team.  They were going to compete with Rize Kamishiro and Touka Kirishima as the single women and four other skaters as the pair and the ice dancers. They knew this wasn’t the most important competition of the year, so they could afford to practice only a few house in the morning, and have the rest of the day free.

 Thanks to this fact, an idea had suddenly appeared in Tsukiyama’s mind and he had been thinking about that for the past few days, growing increasingly worried as the dreaded moment gradually got closer.

He wanted to invite Kaneki out for coffee.

 Of course, it was just to get to know his rival. There were absolutely no ulterior motives to why he wanted to go out with him. It wasn’t like he liked the way Kaneki laughed and he wanted to discover the stupid little things about him, like how he preferred his coffee and what type of cheesecake was his favorite. _That was just idiotic and it made absolutely no sense._

 After they had put their shoes on and closed their duffle bags, Tsukiyama cleared his throat and gently tapped Kaneki on his shoulder, cursing his cheeks for choosing that exact moment to become red.

  _This is it. This is the moment where I'll probably make a fool of myself._

“Uhm… listen, do you… do you maybe want to get dinner with me tonight?” he asked sheepishly, swallowing nervously.

  _What the fuck was that. Why dinner? You said you wanted to invite him only for coffee in the afternoon, not a candlelight dinner, stupid!! And who said there have to be candles?!_

“Oh… okay. Sure. I’d… I’d like that,” Kaneki offered a timid smile. "Yesterday while I was walking back home I saw a restaurant close to my house, and it seemed nice and cozy. We could meet there at 7, maybe? I’ll text you the address later.”

“Parfait. Sounds good,” Tsukiyama nodded, suddenly feeling his heart pick up his pace. _Why? Weird. It was probably the adrenaline from having his nemesi so close to him._

_“_ Alright then. I’ll see you later, Shuu,” Kaneki said, before turning around and starting to walk toward the exit, leaving Shuu standing behind him with a dumbfounded expression.

_Did he just call me by my first name? Oh my god. Oh my god…_

“Did he just call you by your first name?” Karren asked from where she was standing at the edge of the rink, an irritated tone to her voice and her arms crossed over her chest. “Shouldn’t he know he _must_ show you some more respect? Ugh.”

“It’s… it’s fine, Karren. It really doesn’t bother me,” Tsukiyama said, a small smile starting to creep up his face. “I invited him to dinner tonight.”

_“Wie bitte?”_  Karren widened her eyes, gripping the edge of the rink so hard her knuckles almost turned white. “But… but he’s your worst rival! He stole your gold medals!! _Borg!_ ”

 “He didn’t steal them, he deserved them,” Tsukiyama said, remembering Matsumae’s words. “And it’s just a friendly dinner, ne t’inquiètes pas. It’s not like I’m going to fall in love with him or anything, haha!”

 

\---

 

Later that night, Kaneki was standing in front of the restaurant’s entrance, constantly fiddling with the hem of his sleeve and looking around nervously. Shuu wasn’t late at all, in fact Kaneki was a little early, but he couldn’t help but feel anxious.

After practice, at home, he kept asking himself why Tsukiyama of all people would invite him out for dinner. They weren’t the best of friends, and while they had started getting along -sort of- in the last couple of weeks, it still didn’t erase the fact that they supposedly didn’t like each other.

Maybe he shouldn't complain so much. He got to go to dinner with his idol, after all... 

His train of anxious thoughts was interrupted by the sight of Tsukiyama walking up to him, waving with a grin on his pretty, little face. “Hi.”

“Hi. Should we get in?” Kaneki asked, immediately cursing himself mentally. _Of course we should get in, what do you wanna do, stand here all night?_

“Mais oui. After you,” Shuu smiled, opening the door for Kaneki and following him. They got a table near the end of the restaurant, quite reserved.

 

“This place is nice. I like the atmosphere,” Tsukiyama commented, draping his jacket on the back of the chair and sitting down.

“Told you. Now c’mon, let’s take a look at the menu. I’m starving,” Kaneki chuckled.

After the both of them ordered a bowl of ramen, their food arrived ten minutes later and they started eating.

“Mmh, this is so good. Seems like you have good taste,” Tsukiyama smiled, absentmindedly playing with a tiny shrimp with one of his chopsticks. “Of course I do. Knowing how much you love food and cooking, I wouldn’t choose a random place,” Kaneki chuckled, widening his eyes right after speaking.

“How do you know that?”

“Uhm… nothing. Lucky guess,” Kaneki replied, shrugging and starting to eat again, hoping Tsukiyama would drop the subject.

“C'min, you said you knew I love food and cooking, but I never told you.”

“…okay, this is a little… no, very embarrassing, and please don’t laugh at me,” Kaneki sighed, glancing quickly at Tsukiyama.

 

“…I’ve been a huge fan of yours for years, since you were still in Japan’s Junior division. Now it probably sounds creepy, sorry.”

“…really? That’s… that’s so cute! So you’ve known me for what, eight, nine years? You never told me that!” Shuu beamed, staring intently at Kaneki. “Does this mean you have posters of me in your bedroom?” he joked, wiggling his eyebrows.

“Who told you that?! I mean… no. No, of course I don’t,” Kaneki mumbled, taking a large sip of water afterwards.

 

“In that case, thank you for sticking with me all these years. I’m flattered,” Tsukiyama grinned, feeling his heart swell with joy at the thought of a tiny ten year old Kaneki watching him perform.

  _If he's been my fan for all this time, then why is he so competitive toward me? Maybe he wants to demonstrate that he's good enough to beat his_ _idol? Who knows..._

 

The rest of the dinner went by flawlessly, with them talking and laughing and teasing each other, as if they had known each other for years. After they both payed they walked out of the restaurant and stood in front of each other.

Tsukiyama started. “Well, I guess… I’ll see you tomorrow, then. Thank you for-“

“Wait. Uhm… would you like to come to my apartment and get coffee? It’s just a five minute walk from here. It’s fine if you don’t feel like it, of course, I just figured…” Kaneki rambled, his cheeks gradually growing redder and redder.

_At his house? At night? Oh my god that sounds so... what do I do? What does he want to do with me? When someone invites you to their place after dinner it's usually to... oh god!_

“…I’d love to,” Tsukiyama nodded, a smile on his face.

_It's fine. He invited me for coffee, and he doesn't look like a maniac at all. Although I wouldn't really mind... no! Shut up!!_

“Oh… great.” Kaneki beamed.

 

\---

 

“Wow, your house is so nice. I love the furniture’s style, it’s so... you,” Tsukiyama said, hanging his coat on the back of the door and sitting down on the couch after Kaneki told him to.

“What do you mean by ‘It’s so you’?”

 “Well… it’s minimal, there’s a lot of white, and that color reminds me of you. And I see a huge library with hundreds of books down there, which is something I adore, and now that I found out you apparently love reading, I’d like to talk with you about it,” Shuu smiled, watching as Kaneki walked into the kitchen to prepare the coffee.

“Let me finish here and I’m all yours. How do you want it?”

 “Black.”

 “Oh, lke my soul.”

 “…oh my god, don’t you start with the emo jokes!” Tsukiyama laughed, shaking his head.

 “I never tell emo jokes!!” Kaneki protested, while turning on the coffee machine.

 “You do!! And just yesterday I heard you listening to My Chemical Romance! I bet you were one of those sad teen emos. So 2007,” Shuu cackled, scrunching up his nose.

 

_Cute… no, stop, this is just a friendly cup of coffee,_ Kaneki thought.

“Okay, yes, I was. Now shut up,” he said, though a small smile was playing at his lips.

“Okay, okay. Then I’ll ask… who’s your favorite author?”

“Oh, uhm… I have a lot, but my favorite is definitely Takatsuki Sen.” 

“I love her too!! Though her books always seem to have sad ending… her writing is excellent, though. A true genius,” Tsukiyama nodded.

 

Kaneki finished preparing the coffee and brought it to the living room, handing one cup to Tsukiyama, who thanked him with a small “Merci”, and sitting in an armchair next to the couch.

 “Can I ask you something?” Kaneki started, before taking a sip.

 “Oui.”

 “You’re half French, right? Why do you compete for Japan? Sorry if it seems like a stupid question, it’s just… a random thing I’ve been asking myself for years.”

 “I was born in Paris and I lived there for a while, but I’ve been living in Tokyo for almost fifteen years now, so it was easier,” Tsukiyama shrugged. “And I did good, ‘cause now I get to train and compete with my biggest fan!”

 “ _Oh my god,_ stop teasing me!!”

 “Why would I? You’re as red as a tomato!”

 

\---

 

Tsukiyama had never thought he could feel so at ease with someone, but apparently, it was possible, since he and Kaneki had spent the whole night laughing together, sitting side by side on the couch. Kaneki usually seemed so shy and distant, but seeing him open up, joke and laugh like that... Tsukiyama wanted to see it more. 

 

After a while, Tsukiyama looked at the time on his phone and sighed, picking at the edge of his shirt.

 “I should go now. It’s midnight and you know we have to train tomorrow morning.”

 “Oh, right. I forgot about that,” Kaneki chuckled. They got up and Kaneki led Shuu to the door, giving him his jacket. “I guess… I’ll see you tomorrow, Tsukiyama-san.”

 “See you tomorrow, Kaneki-kun. Thank you for the beautiful evening.” Tsukiyama hesitated for a moment before leaning in and pressing a quick, shy kiss to Kaneki’s cheek. "And you can call me Shuu now," he smiled, turning around afterwards and starting to walk down the stairs.

 

Kaneki stood there, stunned, and slowly raised his hand to his cheek, touching the spot where Tsukiyama had kissed him. He swallowed thickly and closed the door, leaning his back against it and exhaling sharply, feeling his face burn.

_Oh god… what have I gotten myself into?_

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you for reading babes! And sorry for the delay! Also, if you're curious, I'll explain why Kaneki feels so competitive toward Tsuki in later chapters!  
> I also managed to sneak in my half French!Tsukiyama headcanon lmao
> 
> my tumblr: rosybumblebee (main) gourmetbooty (fandom)


	4. Chapter 4

_The day of the World Team Trophy’s short program_

Kaneki and Tsukiyama were sitting on a bench outside of the rink, watching as an Italian skater just finished his program and was picking up the flowers off the ice.

“He was very good,” Kaneki nodded, and Tsukiyama agreed. “Indeed. And his costume is nice.”

 

Ever since that little… “date”, things between them had been going flawlessly. Kaneki still refused to call it a date because he knew Tsukiyama’s intentions weren’t like that. Well, he didn’t know for sure… but he was sure of it. Even though he wanted it so bad…

After all, Tsukiyama had kissed him on the cheek. It had to mean something, it wasn’t like Kaneki went around kissing his friends on the cheek after spending the evening together.

Maybe it was a European custom? Tsukiyama was half French, so that could be it. Yeah, it was definitely a French tradition.

 

“-neki-kun? Kaneki-kun?” Tsukiyama waved his hand in front of Kaneki’s face. “You were spacing out. It’s my turn now, wish me luck,” Tsukiyama smiled, standing up and taking off his Japan National Team jacket.

 

Underneath it, he had a beautiful black one piece suit, with long sleeves that went up his hand and around his middle finger, so that they wouldn’t slip away. The costume was very simple, with an open back and small, sparkling, diamond-like glitter that was applied scarcely around his hips and waist, and became more and more nearing his top half, so that his shoulders were covered in glitter.

 

He looked stunning.

 

“Oh, right, good luck,” Kaneki smiled, watching as Shuu took off his guards and skated to the center of the rink, standing in his starting position. The music started and he began his routine, gliding and twirling gracefully around the ice. He jumped the first jump, a triple axel, and landed it perfectly, as always. It was almost as Kaneki were watching a fairy, dancing in a green field, full of flowers in bloom and singing birds and-

He couldn’t go on anymore, he wasn’t poetic enough. In simpler words, he was the most beautiful thing Kaneki had ever seen in his entire life.

 

Tsukiyama began spinning, holding his legs high up in the air in a perfect split as the music started getting closer to the end.

The performance finished shortly after and Tsukiyama stayed on the ice for a couple of minutes, thanking his fans, bowing politely and picking up all the red roses and gifts they were throwing to him.

He exited the rink, put on his guards and went directly to the kiss and cry with Matsumae, his jacket draped over his shoulders and an apple juice bottle in his hand. The scores were announced shortly after and he cheered with his coach as the speakers announced he had once again beat his own world record with a score of 110.95, which immediately registered as the highest short program score in the world.

 

_Alright… I can forget the first place today. But I can still gain quite a few points for our team if I do well enough,_ Kaneki thought, starting to stand up and take off his jacket, since he was the last one for the day and was going to skate after Tsukiyama.

His costume was simple, just a pair of black pants and a white shirt with the sleeves rolled up to his elbows. Still, he made the outfit look stunning.

 

“Look Kaneki, I got an onigiri!!” Tsukiyama chirped happily, holding the huge plushie a fan had thrown on the ice previously and almost shoving it in Kaneki’s face to make sure he saw it properly. “It’s cute, right? I love him so much.”

“Yeah, it’s really cute,” Kaneki chuckled, moving closer to the entrance to the rink as the speakers announced his name. “And congratulations on your new record, your program was amazing as always.”

“Ah, thank you,” Tsukiyama smiled sheepishly, hugging the plushie to his chest. “Good luck.”

 

Kaneki nodded and took off his guards, handing them over to Matsumae before skating out on the ice, taking a few deep breaths and rolling his shoulders, trying to shake the tension off, before getting in his starting position.

 

The music started playing and he skated forward, immediately tuning out the crowd around him, attentively watching every single movement.

His jumps were fantastic, though he touched down with a hand while landing a triple flip, but overall he had been amazing.

After his performance was finished, he did the same as Tsukiyama, bowing and thanking his fans, and picking up some of the flowers that seemed to suddenly appear on the ice.

He exited the rink, put on his guards and jacket and moved to the kiss and cry with Matsumae, sitting down and waiting a few moments before his score was announced. 108.37, a great score that made his name jump to the second position of the ranking.

 He cheered with his coach and thanked the crowd again before going back to where Tsukiyama was sitting, grinning at him.

 

“You were fantastic, Kaneki-kun! Your Biellmann spin has improved a lot, you’ve become more flexible,” Shuu winked, and Kaneki let out a small laugh, awkwardly rubbing the back of his neck. “A-Ah, really? Thank you.”

“Tonight the others wanted to go out for an appetizer, are you in? We won’t be back too late since we have the free program tomorrow,” Tsukiyama proposed.

“Oh, okay. That would be nice. Though I don’t know that many skaters,” Kaneki admitted, a light blush on his cheeks. “Is it alright if my friend Hide comes too? He said he would come to meet me tonight, but I’m sure he’d like to meet the others as well.”

“It’s not a problem at all, I love meeting new people! And there will only be Kamishiro-san and Kirishima-san, and if there are others I’ll introduce you to them!” Tsukiyama exclaimed happily. “We’re done for the day here. We should go back to our hotel and get ready, oui?”

 

\---

 

Later that day, Tsukiyama was standing in front of the body-length mirror in his hotel room, constantly trying and taking off different shirts. Nothing seemed to be good-looking enough, and he was starting to get frustrated, even if he had brought with him too many clothes. He _still_   didn’t have anything to wear.

It wasn’t that he wanted to look good for Kaneki. He just liked looking good in general. If Kaneki _accidentally_ happened to be there too, that was just a plus. It didn’t mean anything at all.

...okay, maybe he was starting to like Kaneki quite a bit. Who could blame him, though? The boy was sweet, nice and funny, and they had so much in common. Also, “enemies to lovers” kind of things were loved by people, and their fans would probably be happy if they got together.

 

He could already imagine the scene: them standing on the podium together, posing for pictures, and Tsukiyama wrapping an arm around Kaneki’s waist to pull him closer, only for Kaneki to grasp his face and…

His train of thoughts was interrupted by a knock on the door and he was snapped out of his daze. He threw the shirt on the bed and opened the door, standing face to face with Kaneki.

“Oh, Kaneki-kun. Ah, I’m late, aren’t I? Sorry, I was choosing my clothes and lost track of time. I’ll be ready in five minutes.”

“…yeah, sure,” Kaneki nodded, blushing fiercely at the sight of a shirtless Tsukiyama in front of him. 

How could one single human be so hot? He wanted to lick those abs so bad he-

 

“You can come in if you’d like. Wouldn’t want you to stand out there,” Tsukiyama invited Kaneki inside, closing the door while the other went to sit on the bed, murmuring a “Thanks” and ducking his face to try and hide his red cheeks. 

“Which one?” Tsukiyama suddenly asked, holding up two shirts in front of his chest. One was dark blue with some light pink flowers all over it, and the other one was red with black cuffs and collar.

“Uh… the blue one. It… it compliments your lilac hair,” Kaneki admitted. “…and it looks good with the blue pants. They’re the same shade,” he added quickly.

“Hm… I like the way you think,” Tsukiyama nodded, putting the other one back in the closet and putting on the blue one, buttoning it until the top and rolling the sleeves up. “How do I look?”

 

_Amazing. Perfect. Unbelievable. Please step on me._

“Y-You look fantastic,” Kaneki smiled, standing up.

“Merci, you’re quite stunning yourself,” Shuu winked, grabbing his wallet, phone and the room keys. “C’mon, let’s go. We’ll meet the others at the bar.”

 

\---

 

They eventually met up with the others at the bar and went to sit at a table, each one of them ordering a drink and an appetizer.

Along with them, there were Touka, Rize, Yoriko, Touka’s girlfriend, and Hide, a friend of Kaneki. They weren’t skaters and had only come to support Touka and Kaneki. 

Hide sat next to Kaneki and while the others were ordering, he began elbowing him gently and wiggling his eyebrows, apparently unable to contain his excitement.

“Holy shit, dude! I knew you liked him but you never told me he liked you back that much! He keeps flirting with you, this is amazing!” he giggled quietly, almost bouncing in his seat.

“Shut your mouth, Hide! I swear I’ll send you back home if you keep teasing me like this,” Kaneki rolled his eyes. “He-he doesn’t like me! He’s just extroverted, that’s all,” he huffed, turning back to his menu.

“I should’ve brought popcorn, you guys are both so oblivious it’s hilarious,” Hide chuckled, shaking his head. “Whatever. I’ll let you guys figure it out on your own.”

“Just _talk_ to him, this tension is killing me,” Rize whined pitifully. “Just fuck him and get it over with!”

“ _Rize!_ You know I’m not the kind of guy to go around and fuck random people, _unlike someone here_ ,” Tsukiyama whispered angrily. “If it has to happen, I’d very much prefer to take him on a date first.”

“Sappy. But understandable,” Rize shrugged, nodding. “Just do it soon though, before I do it for you.”

 

“So, Kaneki, how’s it like training with this shithead right here?” Touka snickered, while Tsukiyama rolled his eyes. “As polite as always, Kirishima.”

“It’s nice, I like it. We both have fun with each other,” Kaneki smiled, thankfully not noticing the way both Rize and Hide had to hide their laughing faces behind the menus and how Tsukiyama’s eyes widened comically.

“I-uh… y-yeah, we do,” Shuu cleared his throat, worrying his bottom lip between his teeth. 

_Oh, how I’d like to have fun with him in some other way…_

“Yeah, I bet you do,” Touka smirked, sipping her drink while Yoriko lightly smacked her arm.

“And you, uh… Hide, right? How long have you known Kaneki-kun?” Tsukiyama asked, grabbing a chip from the bowl in front of him.

“Since we were in kindergarten, we’ve always kinds been joined to the hip. I was with him during his emo phase, his nerd phase, which is still going, but most importantly, during his obsession with you,” Hide giggled, while Kaneki almost spat out the water he was drinking and Tsukiyama blushed vividly.

“A-Ah, haha… yeah, he told me he’s been my fan for years,” he said sheepishly, fiddling with the edge of the tablecloth. 

“I will kill you,” Kaneki muttered through gritted teeth, while Hide just winked at him.

 

\---

 

After they said their goodbyes, Tsukiyama and Kaneki walked together to the hotel, their hips and shoulders occasionally dumping together from how close they were standing. 

“I like Hide. He’s funny,” Tsukiyama mumbled.

“Yeah, he’s a huge goofball. I also like Touka and Rize. I mean, I already kinda knew them, but I’d never really spoken to them,” Kaneki mumbled.

“Kirishima and Yoriko make a good couple, don’t they?” Tsukiyama smiled.

“Yeah, they’re really cute together,” Kaneki nodded.

 

“Have you... had a boyfriend or girlfriend before?” Shuu asked, putting his hands in the pockets of his jacket and looking at Kaneki beside him.

“Uh… no, not really. I’ve had some minor crushes but nothing ever happened. You?” Kaneki asked.

“Eh… me too. I’ve had some small flirts here and there, but it was never anything too serious. I’ve never even… truly _been_ with someone yet,” Tsukiyama admitted shyly, letting out a nervous chuckle and awkwardly rubbing the back of his neck.

“Really? You? But you’re so handsome, you’re always on magazines, I know for sure people want you!” Kaneki exclaimed in shock.

“Yeah, they do. But I guess I’m just waiting for… I don’t know, the right person,” Shuu shrugged. 

_The right person… he’s so cute ,he’s just like me!_ Kaneki thought.

“Well, I guess we have another thing in common, because I think the same,” he said, a tiny smile on his face.

“Oh? That nice, then,” Tsukiyama beamed back.

 

They finally arrived at the hotel and walked up to their respective rooms, which were one next to the other.

“So… goodnight, Shuu. Thanks for the nice evening,” Kaneki nodded once, and Tsukiyama replied, “I should thank you too then, I like spending time with you. Night, Ken.”

He swallowed thickly before leaning in and pressing a kiss to Kaneki’s cheek, just as he had done a while before, after their little… date? Outing? Friendly chat?

 

When Tsukiyama pulled away he found Kaneki staring at him with wide eyes and he was ready to disappear into his room, but Kaneki placed his hands on his shoulders and stood on his tiptoes, pressing his lips to Tsukiyama’s in a brief kiss. 

It was all over a second later, but Tsukiyama could swear that had been the best second of his entire life. He blinked and looked down at Kaneki, who had a soft smile on his face.

“I’ll see you tomorrow, Shuu,” he winked, before retreating into his room.

“…see you,” Tsukiyama whispered mostly to himself.

 

In his room, Kaneki immediately closed the door and pressed his back against it, taking deep breaths and hiding his face in his hands, barely able to contain the huge smile that was spreading across his face.

_Oh my god, I did it, I did it, that was so embarrassing, but at least he didn’t slap me or something, so maybe he didn’t completely hate it… his lips were so soft…_

_If I could, I’d never stop kissing him._

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> as always, thank you so much for taking the time to read this fic, the result of self indulgence, thirst for shuuneki and love of figure skating!
> 
> my tumblr: rosybumblebee (main) gourmetbooty (fandom)


	5. Chapter 5

Tsukiyama stumbled back into his hotel room, his legs trembling, his cheeks flushed and his lips still tingling from the kiss. 

_What the hell had just happened?_

He sat on the edge of the bed and placed a hand on his chest, trying to calm his racing heart and taking long, deep breaths.

Why had Kaneki kissed him? Did that mean his feelings were reciprocated? Did he even have genuine feelings for him?

Tsukiyama ran a hand down his face and sighed, grabbing his phone from his pocket and scrolling through his contacts list. Should he text Chie or Rize? Chie would give him advice but be pretty neutral about the whole thing, while Rize would laugh maniacally and take him shopping for condoms.

 He swallowed as he pressed on Rize’s name, and started typing.

 

  _Shuu, 22.03: girl you’ll never guess what happened_

_Rize, 22.04: boi tell me rn did u get laid_

_Shuu, 22.04: no! tho i wish it happened my god……. kaneki kissed me!!!! after we said goodbye at the bar we walked to our hotel and just started chatting, and then he kissed me in front of my room!!!_

_Rize, 22.06: damn!!!! i’m happy for u ur finally getting some!!! tongue or not?_

_Shuu, 22.07: that’s not the point!!! why did he kiss me? does he actually like me? what does it mean?!?! and without tongue_

_Rize, 22.08: aw that’s a bummer :/ look, i think he likes u. no, i’m sure of it. he looks at u so dreamily, why else would he have kissed u for? u should go for it_

_Shuu, 22.10: are you sure? i mean, i wouldn’t wanna ruin things between us since they were already so fragile at the beginning, the whole world says we’re sworn enemies_

_Rize, 22.12: well, apparently ur not, i’m sure it was just a façade. i don’t think he ever actually hated u, maybe he’s a little competitive by nature and was having fun challenging u, but he would never hate u. again, u should go for it_

_Shuu, 22.13: …..he even told me he’s been my fan for years_

_Rize, 22.14: see????? he doesn’t hate u, he likes u!!!!! now go to sleep, my free program is in two days but urs is tomorrow, so just relax, love u <3_

_Shuu, 22.15: i’ll try… thank u, love u too <3_

Tsukiyama sighed and put his phone on the nightstand, standing up to take off his clothes and put on his pajama’s shirt, before moving to the bathroom to start his night skincare routine, as always.

 He came back after a while and slipped into bed, when his phone beeped with a new text message. 

_Kaneki, 22.48: night, good luck for tomorrow <3_

Tsukiyama grinned to himself and buried his face in his pillow to hide his squeals of happiness, before typing back a reply.

  _Shuu, 22.50: thank you, night and good luck to you too <3_

After that, he put his phone back, closed his eyes, and drifted off.

 

\---

 

The following day, both Kaneki and Tsukiyama were sitting beside each other out of the rink, watching the third to last skater perform.

Neither of them had mentioned what had happened the night before, but they were visibly at ease around each other, occasionally exchanging sweet glances and small smiles. 

As the skater finished his program and exited the rink to get to the kiss and cry, Tsukiyama stood up and took off his jacket, leaving it on the bench next to Kaneki.

 His costume was mostly black, which gradually faded into red from his waist to his shoulders, with long sleeves and small diamonds applied to the upper part of his body. 

“Well… wish me luck,” Tsukiyama smiled down at Kaneki, who was staring at him as if he had seen an angel. Which was probably true. 

“Y-Yeah… good luck,” Kaneki nodded, licking his lips and staring at Tsukiyama up and down.

 

_I would kiss him again right now if we weren’t in front of thousands of people._

Tsukiyama looked at him for a few more moments before making his way to the entrance of the rink and skating to the center, shrugging his shoulders and getting into his starting position.

 The music started and he began skating forward, twirling and spinning around the rink, completely focused on what he was doing. He prepared himself for the first jump, a quadruple salchow, and did it perfectly, smiling faintly to himself as he heard the cheers of the crowd.

 _Guess I’m still everyone’s favorite after all,_ he thought.

He jumped into a flying sit spin then stood up, spinning so fast everything around him became a blur. He finished his routine, his arms extended as he flashed his trademark charming smile to the crowd.

 He bowed repeatedly and thanked the crowd, before skating back to the exit of the rink.

At the kiss and cry his score of 220.37 was announced and he cheered with Matsumae as yet another world record was broken. 

 _Wow, two records in two days… he’s amazing,_ Kaneki smiled to himself as he stood up and removed his jacket. 

He was wearing dark blue pants, a black shirt and a dark blue blazer, decorated with small rhinestones all over his shoulders.

He took off his guards and made his way to the center of the rink, when a voice called out to him.

“Kaneki-kun!” Tsukiyama exclaimed, wearing a flower crown that a fan had thrown to him. “Good luck!”

Kaneki smiled and showed him a thumbs-up, accompanied by the ecstatic screams of the fans, before getting to the center of the rink. 

A soft music started playing as he skated backwards, his arms almost flowing around him. He gave it his all, letting himself get lost in the music as he felt the blades gliding across the cold ice. He couldn’t even hear nor see the crowd anymore: he was alone, training in his home rink. 

Suddenly the music came to a stop and he found himself in his ending position, one arm wrapped around himself and the other outstretched. He hadn’t even noticed he had finished his program.

He waved at the fans and bowed countless times, before exiting the rink and making his way over to the kiss and cry. 

He was busy wiping his sweaty forehead and drinking from his water bottle when he widened his eyes, staring at the screen in front of him.

 

223.20. A new world record.

 

He stared at the numbers for a few seconds, dumbfounded, before wrapping his arms around Matsumae in a hug and standing up afterwards to bow again and thank his fans.

He went back to where Shuu was, and they didn’t even have time to talk that they already had to go back to the ice, where meanwhile the podium had been brought over.

 They stood there together, Kaneki in the first place with a score of 331.72, Tsukiyama came in second scoring 331.32, and a white haired Russian skater in third, scoring 320.17. 

They posed for pictures and then the rest of Team Japan skated on the ice, since they had won the Team Trophy. A few more pictures, and then they were free to go, and Tsukiyama quickly went to the exit of the rink, glancing briefly at the silver medal hanging around his neck before putting on his guards and jacket.

 “Hey! Congratulations,” Kaneki grinned, skating close to where Tsukiyama was standing.

“Thank you. You too, for your gold and… new record,” Shuu smiled, taking a quick look at Kaneki’s medal.

“Ah, thank you. Are you going back to the hotel?”

“Yeah, I’m tired and I wanna take a shower. Remember we have the Gala exhibition tomorrow,” Shuu said, not giving Kaneki a chance to say anything else before walking to the changing rooms.

 

\---

 

Back at the hotel, Tsukiyama had just stepped out of the shower and was drying his hair, staring blankly at his rather depressing reflection in the mirror.

Truth was, he wasn’t feeling so good. He had broken his free world record that day just to have it broken again by what was supposed to be his greatest rival, who had also kissed him the night before.

What a mess things were.

He knew he should have been happy for Kaneki, and he really was, but... he couldn’t help but feel disappointed, empty, as if something was missing.

 _Yeah, a gold medal is missing._  

He felt like such a jerk, being jealous over his… his what? He was pretty sure Kaneki wasn’t just his said sworn enemy anymore. He was… what, his friend? Friends, even though they had kissed.

 

He didn’t even know what he felt for Kaneki. Did he like him? Yeah. Did he want to kiss him and hold his hand? Of course he did. Was he in love with him? That, was a little more difficult to answer. 

They had personally known each other for a little more than a month, so it was definitely early to say if he was in love with Kaneki, but… he knew the boy was special.

The way his nose scrunched up when he laughed, how in love he was with his stupid bunny shaped soakers, how his eyes lit up every time he was telling Tsukiyama about that new book he’d found. 

Those little things that maybe Kaneki did not even notice, but Tsukiyama definitely did. 

Shuu sighed, a wave of shame suddenly washing over him. He shouldn’t have been so cold with Kaneki after the medal ceremony. He should have congratulated him properly, maybe even with a hug, in spite of those who kept insisting they hated each other to death for whatever reason they believed.

Maybe he should apologize to Kaneki. Yeah, that would be the right thing to do. He quickly finished drying his hair and was finishing getting dressed when came a rather loud knock on the door. Tsukiyama fixed his t-shirt and opened the door, finding Kaneki standing in front of him. 

“Oh, hi,” Tsukiyama smiled, moving to the side to let Kaneki inside. The other boy walked into the room with a scowl on his face, before turning around to face Tsukiyama.

 

“Why were you so upset earlier?” he asked, standing with his arms crossed over his chest.

Tsukiyama stared at him in confusion, tilting his head and closing the door. Had Kaneki realized? “I-I wasn’t upset. I was just tired.” 

“Yeah, tired of winning silver maybe? C’mon, I want to hear you say it,” Kaneki gritted. 

“It’s just… I was only a little disappointed, but I was happy for your result, I really was!” 

“Then why didn’t you congratulate me properly, instead of just saying “you too” and then disappearing for hours? Are you jealous?” Kaneki inquired. 

“It’s none of your business,” Tsukiyama grumbled, furrowing his eyebrows He wasn’t going to talk to Kaneki about that.

“Don’t you lie to me.” 

“Just… just a little, okay? I’m just scared, because I’ve seen too many skating stars become famous for a while and then disappear forever just because someone younger and better than them came along, and I don’t want this to happen to me!”

“Nothing will happen to you, you’ve always been better than me and will always be! After years, I’m finally happy and getting rewards for doing something I love and you can’t help but lock yourself up in your room, whining because you haven’t won a gold medal in months. Maybe I deserved those golds!” Kaneki spat.

“You did, and that’s what scares me! I’ve always been the best at this and suddenly you came along and maybe I’m not the best anymore? I dedicated my whole life to skating and I don’t want all of this to disappear!” 

“Of course, because I totally didn’t spend years training, I put on a pair of skates and the next day I already was at the Nationals.”

“Don’t you use sarcasm on me,” Tsukiyama growled, gritting his teeth.

“Oh, I’m sorry, the spoiled little prince couldn’t handle it? Couldn’t handle the truth being right in front of him, that maybe he isn’t the best anymore?”

“Shut up. I don’t wanna talk about this anymore,” Tsukiyama exhaled sharply. “Leave me alone.”

“Of course. Sorry for interrupting your beauty routine, your majesty,” Kaneki muttered angrily, getting out of the room and making his way to his bedroom, slamming the door to make sure Tsukiyama heard him. 

Shuu sat on the edge of the bed, resting his elbows on his knees and holding his head in his hands.

_I will not fucking apologize to him. He’s such a pretentious asshole, I hate him, I hate him so much! He was only using me to get me to lower my guard, so he’d have the opportunity to bring home yet another gold._

He sniffled and wiped at his eyes, hiding his face in his hands and suppressing a few quiet sobs.

 

In his room, Kaneki wasn’t doing much better. He was curled up in bed, a frown on his face as he stared at the ceiling. 

_Who the hell does he think he is? I don’t fucking care about the fact that he’s good, I earned those golds and he didn’t deserve them at all. After years I finally succeeded in becoming better than him and he should be happy for me. I can’t believe I thought I was falling in love with him!_

He sighed and pulled the covers up to his shoulders, closing his eyes and waiting for sleep to take him.


	6. Chapter 6

The next day, just before the Gala, both Tsukiyama and Kaneki were tired and sleepy, neither of them having slept more than three, maybe four hours. They were too busy being sad and angry at each other to be sleeping.

They still had to complete the Gala exhibition with their team and then they could go back to their home rink and to a couple of weeks of vacation, since the following competitive season wasn’t meant to start until the first days of October.

 

While the American team was carrying on with their performance, a tall, white-haired skater made his way over to Kaneki, followed by a young boy with white hair and black roots.

“Hello. I am Arima Kishou. I came in third yesterday. I wanted to congratulate you on your win,” he said, his Russian accent thick on his words. “This is Haise Sasaki. He is a big fan of yours, and he wondered if he could have a picture and an autograph.” The boy looked up at Kaneki with wide, star struck eyes and immediately bowed. “I-It would be an honor for me!”

Kaneki gaped at Haise, his cheeks flushing red. He knew he had fans, but he wasn’t used to taking pictures and signing autographs. “Ah, sure,” he nodded, signing the picture Haise had handed him and taking a selfie with him. “Thank you for being my fan. I won’t let you down,” he smiled, and Haise nodded quickly, his eyes huge and teary, looking as if he had seen God in front of him.

“And thank you, Arima-san. Both of your programs were amazing,” Kaneki said.

“Thank you. We must get going now, we have a plane to catch. We will see you at the next competitions,” Arima smiled slightly, before placing a hand on Haise’s shoulder, who was dangerously close to crying desperately out of joy and excitement, and leading him away.

Kaneki smiled and returned to his place, sitting at the opposite side of where Tsukiyama was sitting on the bench. “Met a fan?” Shuu asked, and Kaneki nodded. “Yeah, why? Are you jealous?”

Tsukiyama just glared at him and crossed his arms over his chest, huffing lightly.

Having noticed the snappy exchange, both Rize and Touka whispered harshly in their ears “You have to talk to me later,” the former in Tsukiyama’s ear and the latter in Kaneki’s.

 

The boys just rolled their eyes in boredom and turned away from each other, watching the skaters perform on the rink until their team was called. They all took off their jackets and skated out on the ice while the music started.

 

The performance went greatly and at the end the crowd was cheering loudly for them, throwing roses and plushies on the ice as they exited the rink, while Tsukiyama had to be forcefully dragged off the rink by Touka since he kept waving and winking at the fans and picking up the cutest plushies.

“You. With me,” Touka commanded after they all had put on their jackets and blade guards, grasping Kaneki’s wrist and striding in the direction of a more secluded place, where they wouldn’t be disturbed and could talk in peace.

“What’s up with you and Bakayama? Just the other day you guys were being all lovey dovey and you kept flirting with each other and now it looks like he bought you a cat, waited for you to get attached to it and then ran him over with his car.

“…nice way of putting it, but no, he didn’t. It was just… a discussion,” Kaneki shrugged, letting out an exasperated sigh. “It’s nothing important, really.”  
  
“C’mon, I wanna help you get laid. Why did you ask him if he was jealous of you meeting fans? Is he?” Touka asked curiously, but Kaneki just shook his head. “Touka, it’s… if I tell you, promise me you’ll shut up and that I never told you anything? Because I don’t want this to blow up, I’m sure it’ll be fine in a couple of days...”

“Swear I’ll keep my mouth shut. Now tell me.”

“Well… after I won gold yesterday, Tsukiyama was kinda cold and distant. I waited a while, and then at the hotel I barged into him room and we had a fight. I accused him of being spoiled and a sore loser because he couldn’t accept that someone was better than him, and then he told me he was sorry but then he got angry too, and… it didn’t end well, I locked myself in his room and left him alone after that.”

“Hm… maybe it was a good thing. You both told each other things you would never say out loud and kinda… got that weight off your chest, you know?” Touka said. “Though I think you guys should really talk it out. I’m saying this because… I never said anything, remember. But… I’ve seen the way he looks at you, and let me tell you I’ve never seen him like that with anyone. Ever. You’re definitely special to him. Sure, he was a bit of a jerk to you, but… again, you should talk to him and see how it ends. If he keeps being an idiot, then dump him. But first, maybe you should give him a chance.”

“…thanks, Touka. Didn’t know you could give such good advice,” Kaneki chuckled, wrapping his arms around the girl in an awkward attempt of a hug, while she made a disgusted face and sounds.

“Ew, affection, gross,” she grumbled, before letting out a soft chuckle as well and patting Kaneki’s back with a hand. “Now go get your man. I’ll go get my girl, she’s probably waiting for me.”

  

\---

 

“I was such an idiot Rize, oh mon Dieu, I ruined that little bit of friendship we had!” Tsukiyama whined pitifully, sniffling and thanking Rize quietly when she gave him a handkerchief, wiping at his teary eyes.

“You know what? Yeah, you were. I mean, I love you, but you did act a little spoiled and entitled. You shouldn’t be so scared of someone taking your imaginary throne. I know that it’s important to you, but is it really more important than Kaneki?” she raised an eyebrow critically.

“I don’t… I don’t know… I guess not?” Tsukiyama said tentatively, letting out a sigh and resting his back against the wall. “I know I was terribly wrong… I really wanted to apologize to him at first, but when he started telling me those things I got so angry… I couldn’t help but respond to him. Maybe a little harsher than I had intended it to be,” Shuu murmured regretfully, fidgeting with the hem of his shirt.

“I know you can be an impulsive bastard, I’ve known you for years,” Rize rolled her eyes. “I think you should talk to him sincerely, and tell him how you feel. About this situation, and about him too, because I’m all for one night stands, but you two are _pining_ for each other, it’s unbelievable. Tell me, do you love him?”

“…I don’t know. I just… I just know that he’s become really important to me, and I wouldn’t want this, whatever it is, to disappear,” Tsukiyama mumbled.

“Is he worth more than a couple of gold medals you can regain in future competitions?”

“…yeah.”

“Then go tell him. Judging from the way he looks at you, I’m sure he feels the same,” Rize winked, while Tsukiyama just stared at her. “How do you know?”

“Please, that boy adores you. You don’t see the way he looks at you, especially when you’re skating. He devours you with his eyes,” Rize giggled, and Tsukiyama blushed, looking down at the ground. “…next time I skate take a picture of him, so I can have proof.”

“Will be done. Now go, we need to be ready to get back home.”

  

\---

 

The following day all of them had returned home, but Tsukiyama and Kaneki still hadn’t spoken to each other. First, they had to prepare their suitcases, then fly back, so there hadn’t been much time, nor the right moment, to properly talk.

Tsukiyama was lounging in his apartment, his fluffy, white cat Mochi curled up in the crook of his neck, her small head resting against his shoulder while he scratched her ears gently, scrolling through his Instagram feed. Touka and Yoriko getting a milkshake together. Nishiki complaining, as usual, about his job as the one who fixes the ice at the rink. Hinami’s new book. Nothing unusual. Then, he saw a picture posted by Kaneki just forty-three minutes before of his new gold medal.

_kanekice: another baby added to the collection! thanks for supporting me guys!!_ _❤_

Tsukiyama sighed, staring at the picture. He really wanted to clear things up with Kaneki, but he was afraid the other wouldn’t listen to him.

Still, that didn’t stop him from trying, so he opened his texts.

 

_to: Kaneki Ken_

_hi, Kaneki-kun. Are you free tomorrow? I thought that maybe we could meet at my place for coffee and a chat? If you don’t feel like it it’s fine!_

A couple of minutes later came Kaneki’s reply.

_Kaneki, 17.34: alright. I’ll be at your place at 5pm. see you tomorrow_

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> thanks for reading! sorry if this is a little shorter but i wanted to keep their talk for the next chapter!


	7. Chapter 7

The next day Tsukiyama was anxiously pacing back and forth in his apartment, waiting for Kaneki to show up. He knew that the boy had spontaneously told him that yes, it was okay to meet, that he wanted to talk, but still… he couldn’t help but feel nervous. What if they ended up fighting again? Maybe worse than the last time? He didn’t want to argue with Kaneki anymore, especially over something so trivial. They were just medals, after all.

 His train of thoughts was interrupted when he heard the doorbell ring and he went to open, unsurprisingly finding Kaneki in front of him.

“Hi. Come in,” he said, closing the door after Kaneki had walked in.

“Do you want anything? Water, coffee, tea?”

“Not now, thanks. Maybe later,” Kaneki smiled. “You… you said you wanted to talk?”

“Yeah. Come here, we’ll sit on the couch,” Shuu said, leading Kaneki to the living room where they sat down.

Tsukiyama hesitated for a moment before opening his mouth, trying to find the right words to say, but Kaneki preceded him.

“I’m sorry about what I said the other day. I didn’t mean to say that you’re a spoiled sore loser, or anything like that. I’m not going to say that I didn’t earn it, but if it were possible, I would’ve given the gold to both of us. You were amazing, and I’m sorry I snapped at you, I was just… irritated and stressed, I guess.”

Tsukiyama stared at him for a few moments, before speaking. “Can I ask you a question?” he asked, and upon hearing Kaneki’s affirmative reply, he continued. “…why did you feel such a strong rivalry towards me?”

Kaneki let out a sigh and ran a hand down his face, leaning back toward the cushions of the couch. “…you don’t remember, do you?” 

Tsukiyama tilted his head, a confused look on his face, and shook his head. “No… is there something I should remember?”

“Years ago, when we were still kids, we… we trained together. Well, we weren’t in the same group, but we were in the same rink. And you… you were incredible. You were something close to a miracle kid, or something like that. You were the coaches’ favorite, everyone loved you. I kept working hard to get to your level, but somehow, I was always in your shadow. They brought you to competitions, they followed you, and I kinda lost my passion. Everything I did was overshadowed by what you did. 

I didn’t hate you, I never did. But… as soon as I could compete, I wanted to win against you, to show the world that I could do something good too.” 

While Kaneki was talking, Tsukiyama stared at him with wide eyes. He did kind of remember a shy kid with black hair, though barely, but he had never known that was Kaneki.

“I… I’m sorry, I… I didn’t know you felt that way. If I had known how things were, I would’ve tried to help you, I would’ve become your friend. And… yeah, to be fair, the coaches always focused more on me. I didn’t realize that though, I was a child, I just loved the attention, but I didn’t know it could hurt someone else. I certainly wouldn’t have wanted things to go that way.” 

“It’s fine, you weren’t really at fault,” Kaneki shrugged. “And I wanted to beat you, of course, but I never hated you. I thought it could be a nice, friendly rivalry. The media just blew this out of proportion, and made it seem like I hated your guts, but I’ve always looked up to you.”

Tsukiyama showed him a small smile, before lowering his gaze. “…my mom always pushed me to win. She made me do off ice training at home, and took me to every competition possible because she wanted her son to be the best champion ever. I didn’t really mind because I loved skating, but still… it often got stressful, always looking at your mother during training to see if she looked disappointed or not.

That’s why I got so upset when your winning streak started. My mom died when I was 16, and since then, I wanted to win every gold medal so I could still make her proud. I didn’t wanna disappoint her,” Tsukiyama mumbled, fidgeting with the hem of his sweater.

“I’m sorry if I seemed pretentious, or generally like a stuck-up asshole. You deserve every single gold in the world.”

Kaneki blinked, looking at Tsukiyama for a few more moments before scooting closer, placing his hand on his knee. “I’m sorry too. I didn’t know that. I would’ve gotten a little annoyed too. Both my parents died when I was young and my aunt didn’t really care about this, so I’m doing it mostly for myself. But I’m sure your mom is proud of you. You’re literally a living legend,” he chuckled.

“Shut it, you are too,” Tsukiyama smiled shyly, looking up at Kaneki.

He looked so… normal. Not like the world-famous skating star, not like a powerful athlete, he just looked like… Kaneki. With a pair of black sweatpants, a loose grey sweater, and his trademark, soft white hair. He looked so domestic, and Tsukiyama loved it. 

He was sure he loved Kaneki. How could he not? After months spent training with him, laughing, arguing, making fun of each other and learning each other’s secrets… he hadn’t realized it before, but he did now. He loved him. 

He didn’t know what to do about it, though. Maintaining a relationship while being rivals would be… challenging, especially with their competitive personalities. What if one of them won an important competition and the other got angry at them? What if they wanted to break up, and they ended up truly hating each other? Tsukiyama didn’t want that. He preferred to keep his feelings a secret and have Kaneki as a dear, treasured friend than ruin their friendship.

Except that apparently Kaneki has quite different ideas from his. Because he had moved a little closer and rested his head on Tsukiyama’s shoulder, letting out a sigh. “I think… there’s something else we should talk about.”

“What is it, mon amour?”

“We… we kissed. Shouldn’t we clear that situation up?” Kaneki asked tentatively, keeping his gaze low since his sweatpants had apparently become the most interesting thing in the world.

“W-What is there to clear? We… was that a date? When we went out together?” Tsukiyama asked timidly. 

“…depends. Did you consider it a date?” Kaneki wondered, lifting his head and moving to sit in front of Tsukiyama, albeit closer than before.

“I-I… oui,” Shuu murmured, feeling his cheeks blush a deep, deep red. He was the worst at this type of things. 

“Then… what do you want to do about it?” Kaneki asked, licking his lips and glancing at Shuu’s, which didn’t go unnoticed from the other, who felt his heart stutter. “I… I don’t…”

“Do you like me?” Kaneki continued, leaning closer and closer until their faces were just inches apart, placing a hand on Shuu’s forearm and slowly massaging it up and down.

“…y-yeah, a lot,” Tsukiyama managed to stutter out, swallowing thickly though his tongue felt heavy, as if he couldn’t speak properly.

Kaneki moved closer and closed his eyes, but as soon as their lips brushed against each other, Tsukiyama pulled away, shaking his head. “No, no, we can’t do this.”

“Why not?” Kaneki asked, tilting his head in confusion and ignoring the pang in his heart. “You just said you liked me.”

“I do, but… if we get together, many people will just say it’s for publicity and try to break us up. And what if when one of us wins, the other gets jealous and can’t take it anymore? What if one of us suddenly decides to retire? I don’t want us to end badly. I don’t wanna lose you.” 

With a fond look on his face, Kaneki shook his head and moved closer to leave a soft kiss on Tsukiyama’s forehead. “None of it will happen. If people will try to destroy us and will speak badly of us, then we just won’t care. And we already cleared that situation up, didn’t we? I won’t get jealous of you if you win against me, and I know you won’t do it either. We’ll be fine. I know you want this, don’t you?”

“…I do,” Tsukiyama murmured, and Kaneki smiled. “Then I’m right here.”

Shuu leaned forward and firmly pressed his lips against Kaneki’s, cupping his cheek with a hand and tilting his head, placing his other hand on the back of his neck.

Kaneki climbed into Tsukiyama’s lap and wrapped his arms around his shoulders, parting his lips and deepening the kiss as he threaded his fingers through his soft hair. 

Tsukiyama held Kaneki’s hips in his hands and then ran one down his thigh, sliding the other one on his waist as he pulled away to catch his breath, resting his forehead against the other’s. “…you kiss as well as you skate,” he murmured timidly, feeling his cheeks blush.

“That’s the most romantic thing anyone’s ever said to me,” Kaneki chuckled, pressing a kiss on the top of Tsukiyama’s nose and caressing his cheek. “So… we’re okay?”

“We’re okay,” Tsukiyama nodded, pecking Kaneki’s lips one more time.

 

\---

 

_6 months later, Nagoya, Japan, Grand Prix Final 2017_

Flashing a bright smile, Tsukiyama looked at the cameras in front of him, holding his gold medal in one hand and a bouquet of flowers in the other, the Japanese flag tied around his shoulders and flowing lightly behind him.

Beside him, Kaneki was doing the same, showing his silver medal proudly. Tsukiyama let his medal go, hanging on his chest, and shuffled a little closer, wrapping his arm around Kaneki’s waist and kissing his cheek, chuckling as he heard the crowd cheer and the cameras clicking.

“I’m so proud of you, mon cher,” Tsukiyama murmured, gently bumping his forehead against Kaneki’s temple. 

“Thanks. And congrats on your gold. Though the next one is mine,” Kaneki smirked, moving closer to Tsukiyama so that their hips were touching.

“Try and take it from me,” Tsukiyama replied, and Kaneki’s laugh was silenced by Shuu’s lips on his own, and the loud screams of the public.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> sorry if this was a little late, i was really busy!! thank you for reading, and i feel like i'm better at writing one-shots, i can't really develop a story well enough to write a multichapter lmao  
> anyway, thank you again, and i hope you enjoyed this tiny story! <3
> 
> my tumblr: rosybumblebee (main) gourmetbooty (fandom)


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